1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to solar cells and methods for forming the same. More particularly, embodiments of the present invention relate to an interface layer formed in thin-film and crystalline solar cells.
2. Description of the Related Art
Crystalline silicon solar cells and thin film solar cells are two types of solar cells. Crystalline silicon solar cells typically use either mono-crystalline substrates (i.e., single-crystal substrates of pure silicon) or multi-crystalline silicon substrates (i.e., poly-crystalline or polysilicon). Additional film layers are deposited onto the silicon substrates to improve light capture, form the electrical circuits, and protect the devices. Thin-film solar cells use thin layers of materials deposited on suitable substrates to form one or more p-n junctions. Suitable substrates include glass, metal, and polymer substrates.
To expand the economic use of solar cells, efficiency must be improved. Solar cell efficiency relates to the proportion of incident radiation converted into useful electricity. To be useful for more applications, solar cell efficiency must be improved beyond the current best performance of approximately 15%. With energy costs rising, there is a need for improved thin film solar cells and methods and apparatuses for forming the same in a factory environment.